Most Thais want government to fix the economy as a matter of urgency

Most Thai people believe that the Thai economy has reached a critical level, which must be addressed by the government as a matter of urgency, while many also want the government to proceed with the third phase of the “digital wallet” 10,000-baht benefit payments, according to the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) poll.

NIDA gauged the opinions of 1,310 Thais, of various occupational and educational backgrounds, on the topic of “Economic Crisis and Phases 3 and 4 of Digital Wallet scheme” on May 7th and 8th.

The poll shows 83.66% of the respondents believe that the economic situation in Thailand is now critical, while 9.70% of the respondents believe that, although the situation is difficult, it does not warrant any extraordinary measures to address it. Only 4.20% believe that the situation is not at all critical yet.

Regarding the digital wallet scheme, the poll shows that 57.25% of the respondents want the government proceed with the third phase, while 33.90% want the scheme to be terminated. 7.63% want the scheme to be postponed into the next fiscal year, while only 1.22% want it to be deferred until 2027.

For the 4th phase of the scheme, which is intended to benefit the 21-59 age group, 62.98% of the respondents want the payments this year, with a small percentage suggesting that the program should be postponed for 1-2 years.

The government has, however, already decided to postpone the scheme indefinitely, but may revive it when the situation is right.

Asked how they feel about the government’s decision, 54.12% of the respondents said they were not angry about it, while 17.41% said they were angry with 15.27% saying they are very angry.